Replicating a Hand Rubbed Finish with Festool....

[Ww417]

Is it possible to replicate -- or come close -- to a hand rubbed oil/varnish blend finish using festool sanders.... The thought was raised by the below link, pls go to "3 of 4" and take a look at the lower left image of the man using some type of air sander with what appears to be a very soft material/pad... to my eye it looks like the finish is close to complete and they are efficiently using tools to create a highly hand rubbed type of appearance.  I know its an oil/varnish blend because that is the only finish Nakashima uses, so this question is NOT about "rubbing out" a finish.  So my question is, how would I replicate what they are doing using festool?  what I use rotex?  if so, with what pad/finishing/buffing material?  Perhaps a linear sander, so I could rub "with the grain"?  Any thoughts would be appreciated... thanks, t.

http://www.nakashimawoodworker.com/custom/3

 

[jacko9]

t, 

I watched a video on here yesterday where a woodworker took his RO 150 Rotex and polished a piece of hardwood right up to a 4000 grit finish and it looked like the furniture in the link you provided before he applied any finish.  Check it out @ http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-how-to/festool-rotex-ro-150-feq/msg198222/#msg198222

J

 

[Ww417]

Thanks J --

Interesting video, but his point escapes me... All he has done is burnish the wood to a high sheen... there is no finish to protect the wood or bring out the grain in the wood... so i don't think it has much to do with the picture i shared which involves the application of an oil/varnish blend... but again, thanks...

t.

 

[jacko9]

t,

The point is that the oil/varnish finish looks better on a pre-polished surface rather than trying to duplicate the appearance after the oil-varnish application.

J

 

[mouppe]

I have recently completed a piece of cherry furniture using Tried and True Varnish Oil, and some Festools. It has come out really well. I can post a picture tomorrow, but basically what I did was sand with my ETS 125 using Brilliant 220, 320 and Granat 500. The surface was already hand planed so it was very smooth to begin with. Sanding to 500 is extreme but I wanted to burnish the cherry to limit any blotching. I then added a wash coat of shellac, rubbed it out with Granat 400, and laid down the first coat of Varnish Oil very thinly.

Tried and True Varnish oil takes longer to cure than other oils but it is completely non-toxic and looks terrific. After an hour I wiped it down with a paper towel, but there was barely anything picked up by the paper. I let it cure for two days, then using a white Vlies pad with my Rotex 125 and a polishing pad, smoothed the wood. THis removes any nibs, dust particles etc. Then I laid down the second oil coat, and repeated the process. Today I laid down the third coat- this should be the final coat.

So it is possible to use Festools with an oil/ varnish finish, but to get the best effect you have to put in some elbow grease somewhere in the process.

If you like on the finishing tab on the Nakajima website there is a fuller description of their finishing process. It is basically a hand-rubbed exercise followed by a polish.

 

[fritter63]

Tried and True Varnish Oil, and some Festools.

[scared] [sad]

triedandtruewoodfinish.com expired on 03/15/2012 and is pending renewal or deletion.

 

[mouppe]

http://www.triedandtruewoodfinish.com/

Yes, you're right. Only last week it was working. I hope they are OK.

Here are the pics.

The inside after two coats of shellac.

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After two coats of shellac and three coats of Varnish oil. Hand rubbed and polished with a rotex and white Vlies pad. The last coat has yet to be polished.

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If you look carefully at the side you can see the reflection of the workbench.

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[leakyroof]

I'm in the process of playing around with this technique after getting curious about posts regarding oil finishes, Shinex, Sufix, and oil varnish blend finishes.  I'm using Platin 2, all the way up to 4000 grit. Will possibly post some pictures at some point once I feel I have enough data/info to offer.  I use my Rotex 90 for small surfaces, and my Shinex for larger ones.[ Don't own a Rotex 150mm, shocking, but hey, true [embarassed]]
Platin 2 has been very easy to work with. I've also used Vlies for straight oil finishes where I wasn't trying for a super burnished surface look.  Depends on my mood and the wood species I'm working with. [wink]
So far, I wouldn't think you needed a linear sander for doing this, if that helps with your questions..